“For Bass on Home Lakes, Fish Mister Twister Plastics with Michael Andres”

Part 3: Fish the RT Slug Like a Comida

Editor’s Note: Michael Andres of Green Bay, Wisconsin, an avid bass fisherman, fishes the waters near his home, like most bass fishermen these days, because of higher gas prices. Fishing close to home often will produce more big bass than major reservoirs because smaller waters receive less fishing pressure. Too, you can fish them more intensely and learn where to find bass in them during all seasons. This week, Andres will tell us the techniques he’s developed that produce bass in both small and big waters.

Question: Mike, you fish the Exude RT Slug, right?

Andres: The size line and technique I use to catch bass with this bait depends on the fishing situation. Most of the time I’ll be casting the Exude RT Slug on 10-pound-test line in 2 to 4 feet of water, rigged Texas style, without a weight up the line. If I’m fishing milfoil with a number of pockets, I’ll cast past the pocket, twitch the RT Slug up to the hole in the grass, kill the bait and let it fall. Most anglers twitch the bait a lot, but I’ve found that when I kill the RT Slug in a grassy hole, the bait appears to have run out of energy and starts sinking toward the bottom, which is when a largemouth generally will take the bait.

I fish the RT Slug much like most people fish a Comida. I cast it out and let it sink. This is an effective technique because most fishermen use the Comida or other cigar-shaped worms to flip and pitch into holes in the grass and then let the bait sink. Using this tactic, I’m presenting a different lure to the bass.

The RT Slug was designed as a twitch bait and not a fall bait. Most anglers who fish the RT Slug fish the lure as a twitch bait. Not many people, especially in my region, fish the RT Slug as a fall bait. Therefore, I’m presenting a bait with a unique profile and action to the bass, which often solicits more strikes than other lures the bass are accustomed to seeing.

Once the RT Slug falls into the hole in the milfoil and reaches the bottom, I’ll twitch it up off the bottom, let it fall back again and then twitch it out of the hole. If you’ve ever watched a dying baitfish, you’ll notice it falls like it’s dead and then when it hits or gets close to the bottom, the baitfish will use their remaining energy to swim away from the bottom before falling back again. That’s what I want the RT Slug to resemble. I want it to give the appearance of a dying baitfish and an easy meal for the bass.

Question: What’s your favorite color of RT Slug?

Andres: I like the white and the bone diamond RT Slug rigged on a No. 5/0 hook.